Cheech Marin to be honored by Hispanic Heritage Foundation for contributions to the arts
The Hispanic Heritage Foundation named Marin as a recipient of the 2025 Hispanic Heritage Award for the arts on Tuesday, one of several honors bestowed on notable public figures for their accomplishments and cultural contributions to the Latino communities.
Past awardees at the Hispanic Heritage Awards include Bad Bunny, America Ferrera, Becky G, J Balvin and others. Marin will be awarded alongside National Public Radio journalist and 'Alt.Latino' host Felix Contreras and Rizos Curls co-founder and CEO Julissa Prado.
'I'm extremely honored to be receiving this Hispanic Heritage for Arts Award,' Marin said in a press release. 'I accept this recognition with deep gratitude and a commitment to continue uplifting voices, building bridges, and honoring the legacy of those who came before us.'
Having spent his childhood in South-Central L.A. and the San Fernando Valley, Marin's comedy career kicked off in the late 1960s, when he fled to Canada to avoid being drafted during the Vietnam War. It was during that time that he first met his future comedy partner Tommy Chong — and the rest is burned into history.
'For over five decades, Cheech Marin has reflected our cultural impact on America and the world as a comedian, actor, director, art collector, and humanitarian,' said Antonio Tijerino, the president and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, in a press release. 'His groundbreaking work has not only entertained but enlightened. We are thrilled to pay tribute to Cheech and the other 2025 Honorees and tell their stories to inspire, unite, and mobilize other generations.'
Cheech and Chong's blazing success first reached national attention after the release of their first comedy album 'Cheech and Chong' in 1971. The 11-track LP was nominated for a comedy recording award at the 1972 Grammy Awards and generated the famous 'Dave's not here' line. Their second album, 'Big Bambú,' was nominated for a Grammy in the same category at the 1973 award ceremony.
In 1978, the duo released the stoner comedy feature film, 'Up in Smoke,' which was based in L.A. Though it was critically panned, the film became a cult classic and was added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry in 2024.
Marin's 1987 film 'Born in East L.A.' — which includes a spoof of Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the U.S.A.' — was acclaimed by critics for blending of comedy with such serious subject matters as deportation and living as an undocumented person in the U.S.
'Without saying so much as a single word that could be even remotely described as preachy, Cheech Marin makes his points about the second-class nature of American citizenship for ethnic minorities and the desperate situation in which illegal aliens find themselves,' The Times wrote in a 1987 review of the movie.
In recent years, Marin is perhaps best known for his work as a collector of Chicano art. After being a lifelong gatherer of art, the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum opened to the public in June 2022.
Many consider the museum to be the largest private collection of Chicano art in the world, with more than 550 paintings, drawings, sculptures and photographs from Marin's personal collection will be on permanent rotation. Nicknamed 'the Cheech,' the 61,420-square-foot, two-story art museum and education center resides in what used to be the downtown Riverside Public Library, and has displayed works by artists Chaz Bojorquez, Judithe Hernández, Frank Romero, Patssi Valdez and others. It's considered the only permanent art space to exclusively showcase Chicano and Mexican American art in the country.
'You don't have to be Chicano to love and appreciate this work,' Marin told The Times in 2022. 'Just like I don't have to be French to appreciate Impressionism or German to appreciate Expressionism. We recognize it as part of the conversation in the history of art. And now we are part of that conversation in a more concentrated effort than we've ever had before.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Los Angeles Times
The Chicano artist melting ice blocks in Riverside has a bigger story to tell
Some SoCal residents spent their summer at the beach, or at their local rooftop pool; others spent it indoors, hiding from ICE agents. It's why Riverside artist Perry Picasshoe spent his summer documenting the melting of 36 ice blocks on sidewalks across the Inland Empire. He traveled to nine locations, a mix of parks, storefronts and gas stations, where immigration enforcement raids have taken place in the past few weeks. In each spot, he placed four 25-pound ice blocks on the ground and took photos of them as they melted. He would periodically check on the progress, he explained, and found that some were smashed into pieces or completely disappeared. 'I took it as a metaphor of what's happening,' Picasshoe said, referencing the recent ICE raids taking place across Southern California. 'I was also thinking a lot about having these blocks of ice as almost a stand-in for people.' This latest art piece is just one of the many other Chicano-focused projects that Picasshoe has created in his hometown in the past three years. His goal, among all of the artworks, is to push its residents to reflect on the complexity of the Inland Empire's Latino identity. Juan Carlos Hernandez Marquez is an emerging Mexican American multidisciplinary artist from Riverside who goes by the stage name Perry Picasshoe. The moniker, which he created as a teenager, is a play on Pablo Picasso's name mixed with an early 2010s social media term 'art hoe.' Under this pseudonym, Picasshoe first gained recognition for creating art that explored the complexities of his dueling identities of being an LGBTQ+ artist while surrounded by traditional Latino ideals. While studying visual arts at UCLA, he reimagined Sandro Botticelli's painting 'The Birth of Venus' with LGBTQ+ imagery, created a 9-foot-tall Christmas cactus in honor of the time he spent with his father during the holidays and hosted a solo exhibition called 'Mystic Garden,' which showcased pieces inspired by flowers given to him by an ex-partner. It's also where he developed his signature red-dominant style in both his fashion and art. 'Red is my comfort color,' Picasshoe said. He suffered from occasional panic attacks while studying at UCLA, he explained, which discouraged him from going to school. It continued for months — until he found himself wearing a bright red outfit, which brought him a sense of peace. 'It just kind of grew from there,' he added. 'It just followed me everywhere that I went.' Picasshoe also posted videos showcasing his pieces on social media. Like his artwork, his posts were intricately filmed and edited with bright red accents. They were also accompanied by narration detailing the work's inspiration, creation process and meaning. His efforts amassed him almost 200,000 followers between TikTok and Instagram. This rapid growth, both on social media and within his network, brought new opportunities to grow professionally in Los Angeles. Yet after graduating in 2022, he decided to continue his career in his hometown instead. 'It was just a different pace that I was not ready for,' he said. 'The art scene out here is much more [based in] community, as opposed to [money] or clout. It's more of making work that people here will get to enjoy.' It's a decision that's worked in his favor. This year, he's been honored by the city at the Mayor's Ball for the Arts with the Emerging Artist award and recognized as one of UCLA's top 100 alumni entrepreneurs for 2025. Picasshoe's decision to be a professional artist within the Inland Empire also came at a time when opportunities for Latino artists in the region have grown in recent years. Cosme Cordova, long-time Riverside Chicano artist and Division 9 Gallery founder, explained that for decades, Latino artists considered Riverside a 'boot camp' instead of a city where they could make a living. They would earn some money in their hometown, then travel to other prominent locations, like Los Angeles or Palm Springs, where artists felt their work was more respected. As the years went on, he said, the local community began to understand the value in supporting its artists. 'Then when the Cheech came, it's got international attention, so it's just gotten even better,' Cordova said. 'I'm starting to see a lot of artists now more genuinely focused on just trying to showcase their work here in Riverside.' The most prominent addition within the region has been the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture — known colloquially as 'the Cheech.' The museum is widely considered the only space in the country that exclusively showcases Latino-made exhibitions, including some of Picasshoe's work. Since returning to the Inland Empire, Picasshoe's artistic vision caught the attention of both community leaders and larger institutions. While hosting one of his first solo exhibitions, called 'Red Thoughts,' at the Eastside Arthouse in Riverside, the directors of the Cheech took notice of his unique style. 'They approach their work with abandon, with any medium,' said María Esther Fernández, the center's artistic director. 'They had an installation and it was very interactive and immersive. I think pushing the boundaries of that is really fun and innovative.' It would lead Picasshoe to work on a wide range of projects in collaboration with the Chicano art center for the next three years. Last year, Picasshoe teamed up with Inland Empire-based artist Emmanuel Camacho Larios to curate an exhibition for the Cheech's community gallery called 'Desde los Cielos.' 'It was a group show that explored what the term 'alien' meant in the context of Chicanxs, and alien in the political, the social and the queerness of it all,' Picasshoe said. 'I also made a huge painting for that one, the largest that I've ever done so far.' The seven-foot-tall painting, called 'Simulacra of Guillermo Hernandez, Beethoven, y los Guachimontones,' depicts his late grandfather sitting on the bed of a pickup truck alongside a small chihuahua. In the background, looming over his abuelo, is a giant circular pyramid built by the Teuchitlán people. A golden pyramid, made from Abuelita Mexican Chocolate bricks, was placed in front of the painting; the bricks were free for the taking during the exhibition's debut. After the time for his co-curated exhibition ended, another installation named 'Queer Wishes' was featured in the Cheech for an exhibition co-curated by the Eastside Arthouse's founder and resident artist. The piece is a three-dimensional black box with a white dress made from bath towels and bedazzled gems displayed on a dress form mannequin inside. Next to the mannequin is a small black vanity desk and mirror with makeup and porcelain wishbones filling the table's surface. 'The first time I was really able to express myself was when I would get out of the bathroom, put my bath towel on and pretend it was a dress,' Picasshoe said. 'I know I'm not the only one with that experience of being in the bathroom and having that be the only time you have to yourself.' Since debuting the installation at the Cheech, Picasshoe had hoped to take a step back from creating larger community-focused pieces and spend time finalizing some personal projects. However, as immigration enforcement raids ramped up in Southern California, Picasshoe felt the need to create artwork to express his frustration. Picasshoe and his father drove the family truck to Fontana on July 3 to pick up three translucent ice slabs, each about 40 inches tall and weighing around 300 pounds, and brought them back to downtown Riverside. They arrived 45 minutes before the start of the city's monthly arts walk, an event where dozens of local vendors set up booths to sell their artwork to hundreds of residents. Picasshoe and his father slowly unloaded the slabs from the truck's bed onto a dolly and wheeled the installations out into the three chosen locations: the front of the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture, the epicenter of the city's monthly arts walk event and the front of the Riverside County Superior Court. A wooden platform was placed under each slab, with the words 'life,' 'liberty' and 'the pursuit of happiness,' written upside down and divided between the three art pieces, along with a QR code explaining its meaning. He chose this day, he said, because of its high foot traffic. It was the best opportunity to help some passersby feel represented while confronting others with a hard truth. 'Art should be lived in,' Picasshoe said. 'It's prevalent in a lot of my work, and especially this one, since it's meant to be commenting on something regarding the public.'
New York Post
4 days ago
- New York Post
Husband of Telemundo host and ex-beauty queen stole $1.6M from fitness influencer, lawsuit alleges
Telemundo star and former Puerto Rico beauty queen Aleyda Ortiz's husband was accused of stealing $1.6 million from a popular Latino fitness influencer, according to a lawsuit. Ricardo Casanova, a financial advisor who has been married to the TV host for eight years, allegedly siphoned corporate funds from Alejandro Chabán, a Venezuelan-born entrepreneur, wellness advocate and television personality, the $4.8 million civil theft lawsuit claims. Casanova worked as Chabán's financial consultant beginning in 2017, with access to corporate bank accounts and financial records, according to the filing in Miami federal court on July 30. Chabán filed suit against Ricardo Casanova (right), the husband of Telemundo host and former beauty queen Aleyda Ortiz (left). WireImage Alejandro Chabán, a Venezuelan-born entrepreneur, wellness advocate and television personality, filed a lawsuit against the husband of a former Puerto Rican beauty queen. Getty Images The complaint alleges that from 2017 until his removal in 2024, Casanova transferred and withdrew company money without permission, channeling it to himself under the guise of compensation far beyond what had been agreed upon. Chabán's attorney, Miranda Soto, said the claim is being brought under Florida's Civil Theft Statute, which allows for triple damages in cases of proven theft. 'Mr. Casanova systematically took funds to which he was not entitled from 2017 until he was discovered in 2024,' Soto said in a statement posted to social media. 'He violated the trust placed in him and his fiduciary duty to Mr. Chabán and his companies. This lawsuit not only seeks to protect Mr. Chabán's businesses, but also his employees, partners, and investors.' The Post has sought comment from Chabán, Ortiz and attorneys for Casanova. The case has attracted attention in Spanish-language media in the US and Latin America thanks to Chabán's reputation as a trusted wellness figure and Ortiz's status as a prominent television host. Ortiz, 36, won a reality beauty competition in 2014 and finished as first runner up in Miss Universe Puerto Rico competion that same year. She has appeared on Telemundo programs, including the morning lifestyle show 'En casa con Telemundo' as well as the celebrity dance competition 'Mira Quién Baila.' Ortiz has not publicly commented on the lawsuit. Chabán, 43, is widely recognized in the Hispanic community for his transformation from an overweight child into a prominent advocate for health and fitness. He has hosted television programs, written best-selling books such as 'Think Skinny, Feel Fit: 7 Steps to Transform Your Emotional Weight and Have an Awesome Life.' He also founded 'Yes You Can!,' a Miami-based nutrition and wellness brand. His public image blends his entertainment career with a focus on physical and emotional wellbeing, and his companies market products and lifestyle plans aimed at Latino consumers in the US and abroad.
Axios
4 days ago
- Axios
John Leguizamo makes San Antonio stop in Latino-focused MSNBC show
"Leguizamo Does America" director Ben DeJesus tells Axios the show proves that telling Latinos ' stories doesn't just make audiences "feel good" — it's "good business." Why it matters: The first season of "Leguizamo Does America," which includes an episode about San Antonio, was the most viewed MSNBC original in over two years on Peacock. State of play: The road trip-style weekly MSNBC series follows host and executive producer John Leguizamo as he explores how Latinos are shaping history, culture and food in major U.S. cities. "For season two, I wanted to go deeper into America and put a magnifying glass on Latino exceptionalism, Latino ingenuity, and Latino genius," Leguizamo, who is of Puerto Rican and Colombian descent, said in a statement. The big picture: The economic power of U.S. Latinos surpassed $4 trillion in 2023, according to a UCLA and Cal Lutheran report published this year. "Latinos are over 60 million here in the United States," DeJesus says. "So we are the mainstream, right ... We have something to offer, and from a business point of view, we think it makes a lot of sense as well." Zoom in: In the show, Leguizamo, an Emmy-winning actor, visits the birthplace of sizzling fajitas with Democratic U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro in San Antonio and trains with lucha libre wrestlers in Denver. He also toured Philadelphia, Phoenix, New Orleans and Raleigh with artists, chefs, activists and entertainers. What they're saying:"When we went to San Antonio, we went there really because it's considered the cradle of Mexican American culture," Leguizamo tells Axios. "We knew that the population was still predominantly influenced by Latino culture." What we're watching: The San Antonio episode, the last in the season, premieres at 8pm Sunday.
